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Figuring out 4g Mobile Broadband Options

I presume there wouldn’t ever be a situation where Vodafone is poor but Voxi isn’t? Or is there some technical stuff that can make that the case?
There can be differences in the way the APN's are setup which can affect the way data travels and sometimes the main host would prioritize they're own traffic first, so in high load areas I have noticed voxi does slow down a bit and videos will stream at lower quality rates but still fine on a smaller screen.
 
Hi, is the poynting antenna worth the purchase. I have been looking at it for a while now but unsure of purchasing it if it doesn't make any difference.
I'm looking for a more stable connection and stronger signal. Ideally an increase in speed would be great too.
I am on the 3 4g network using a B535 router. Approximately 1 mile from the mast with near line of sight. Did you get an increase in speed and stability?
Thank you
I get a small increase in signal strength using the Poynting XPOL-A0001 but it's only a couple of db if I site the router in the same spot. The big advantage is that there is a big hotspot in the bathroom window. Not a good place to put a router, but ok for the antenna which is weatherproof and therefore should be ok if there's a bit of condensation from the shower. The 5 meters of cable was enough to hide most of the run through the bathroom and onto the landing and locate the router by a power socket.

In short, if the best spot is on top of a wardrobe or in the attic or anywhere where you can't easily get to a mains socket then an antenna might help. Be aware though that the cable is fixed at 5 meters. You shouldn't extend it or cut it.
 
Do you know what bands it is using? I found that by locking out Band 20 (slow but travels really good), I got a faster connection.

BTW There is an app for controlling and monitoring the features of B535 router called HUA Ctrl. It colours the stats green, orange and red which helps you see at a glance, how your signal is improving or getting worse, as you move it in real time.

Thank you
 
Do you know what bands it is using? I found that by locking out Band 20 (slow but travels really good), I got a faster connection.

BTW There is an app for controlling and monitoring the features of B535 router called HUA Ctrl. It colours the stats green, orange and red which helps you see at a glance, how your signal is improving or getting worse, as you move it in real time.

How may I find out which band the B535 uses clievejo?
 
Depends on your location and signal strength. I used a Poynting Cross Polarised 4G Omni LTE Antenna for a while with a RUT950 and it works well if you aren't sure where the signal is coming from, due to it being omni-directional (recieves signals coming from all around it). It give me a more solid connection and a few mbps speed.

I have since replaced it with a Mikrotik LTE dish, as I now know where the signal is being broadcast from and can point it directly at the local mast.
Hi clivejo, the mast is situated behind the house in the picture, where I marked it yellow. If it wasn't for the house, then it would be clear line sight. The mast is approximately 1 mile away.
 

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get a small increase in signal strength using the Poynting XPOL-A0001 but it's only a couple of db if I site the router in the same spot.
db scales are logarithmic, every extra 3 db in the sound scale is a doubling of sound volume, signal strength db scales operate the same way.


So a 2db increase is more than it sounds.
 
With the old B525 there was a slight improvement from the antenna. I've just done some comparative tests with the newer B818 and got a surprise. The router placed in the bathroom window gets a slightly better signal on band 3, about 1-2db for RSSI and RSRP and significantly better on band 1, around 4db. But my original suggestion is still valid, that purchasing an antenna increases your placement options. The mast is just under 3 km away and not in line of sight and variations in signal strength make exact comparisons difficult. An antenna designed for 4g and 5g higher frequency bands might be better.
 
I should add that the B818 uses TS9 connectors and required adaptors to work with the antenna's SMA connectors. The adaptors are gold plated and a good tight fit but they are another link in the chain which might have a deleterious effect on the signal power. Whether it makes a material difference in actual speed is another question. I suspect it doesn't, congestion having a far greater effect.
 
Don't think the adapters will make significant difference, don't worry.
 
Thanks. Despite the slight loss in signal it's still pretty good. The point being using the antenna enables me to site it for best signal but where I wouldn't wish to put the router.
 
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Thanks everyone for the help so far on this one. I'm going to be able to start the testing of signal strengths in the next couple weeks and just wondering is a regular smartphone (iPhone 11) suitable to conduct testing of the different providers, just popping PAYG SIM in and see where the best signal is? Is it worth running speed tests through the phone too at this point?
 
Thanks everyone for the help so far on this one. I'm going to be able to start the testing of signal strengths in the next couple weeks and just wondering is a regular smartphone (iPhone 11) suitable to conduct testing of the different providers, just popping PAYG SIM in and see where the best signal is? Is it worth running speed tests through the phone too at this point?
By all means, use the iphone and use a speedtest app you can register on, so it will save your tests in the cloud for later inspection (for decision making).
 
So I managed to do a little testing, only with Three, last weekend and the numbers seem healthy. Had one result at 66mbps upload and 33mbps down with a 72ms ping. Will still be planning to test the other providers but feel confident that I'll get a solution that works.

In terms of selecting a router I'd rather do this sooner so I've less time without any internet access as it's pretty critical for my work. Lucian mentioned:

In terms of routers, once you find a suitable operator, go for the highest CAT device you can find within your budget.

Are the main preferred routers still the B535, B618 and B818 from Huawei? Are there any others I should be considering?
 
So I managed to do a little testing, only with Three, last weekend and the numbers seem healthy. Had one result at 66mbps upload and 33mbps down with a 72ms ping. Will still be planning to test the other providers but feel confident that I'll get a solution that works.

In terms of selecting a router I'd rather do this sooner so I've less time without any internet access as it's pretty critical for my work. Lucian mentioned:



Are the main preferred routers still the B535, B618 and B818 from Huawei? Are there any others I should be considering?
That's the popular 4G routers dg121, the others are the 5G ones but are rather expensive, unless you are set on future proofing. (CPE Pro 1 & 2)

There is a CPE Pro 2 now for 4G too, forgot about that. (B628):giggle:

Unboxing (ePhones)

Official Website
 
Thanks for that Wee Bear. Curiously what's the difference between the CPE Pro 2 (B628) and the B818? B818 is Cat19 vs Cat12 of the B628 so presumably a better option?

Think I'll lean towards the 4G routers for now.
 
Thanks for that Wee Bear. Curiously what's the difference between the CPE Pro 2 (B628) and the B818? B818 is Cat19 vs Cat12 of the B628 so presumably a better option?

Think I'll lean towards the 4G routers for now.
You're very welcome dg121, I think it's just Huawei's newest 4G router, you'd be just as well with the B818, I had that router and it was excellent.

The B628 is a bit cheaper than the B818 but only about a tenner but doesn't seem to be in stock.
 
@dg121 go for the b818 if you can, prolly the best LTE router in terms of bands and cat. It supports pretty much all the bands used in UK afaik.
If you have money to spend and there's 5G in your area, it's worth considering a 5g router, especially with Three whose LTE bands tend to be rather oversubscribed.
 
Thanks Lucian. Looks like they have it available at Amazon right now for £185 with a free Smarty SIM, but still unlocked. Think I'll go for that!
 
Thanks Lucian. Looks like they have it available at Amazon right now for £185 with a free Smarty SIM, but still unlocked. Think I'll go for that!
Clicked send a bit too soon previously, message was ambiguous re 5g. Just want to clarify b818 is not 5g, just LTE.
 
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